Gizmodo

Doctor Who teases Neil Patrick Harris’ mystery new villain. Meet the humans of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (and Pete Davidson). Plus, a look at the final episode of Titans, and behind the scenes on Secret Invasion. To me, my spoilers!

As part of its massive dump of AI news yesterday at I/O 2023, Google revealed that it would be expanding access to the 3D data it creates and relies on to make Google Maps more immersive. Our first good example of the potential behind that move is a new Space Invaders game that takes advantage of augmented reality to…Read more...

Stock trading app Robinhood wants to edge out the behemoth that is the New York Stock exchange. Rather than eating from the same dish of its own personal sheriff of Nottingham, the app that was once the darling of the WallStreetBets crowd is hoping its always-on audience might appreciate the ability to buy and sell…Read more...

David S. Goyer’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation has many more stories to tell—and will get down to business when its second season hits Apple TV+ on July 14. After a sneak peek earlier this year, the streamer has released its first official teaser, which means it’s suddenly a much brighter morning for fans of …Read more...

Teenage Engineering’s days of churning out $50 electronic musical toys seem far behind it, but it’s hard to lament the company’s focus shift when it’s creating hardware like its new TP-7 Field Recorder, which features a spinning wheel that can be used to start, stop, and skip through recordings by simply touching it.Read more...

Spring has officially sprung throughout the U.S., and the country is finally green. A lot of those plants are great, but some are invasive. They’re taking up root, and taking up space that should go to our native plants.

YouTube is cracking down on users determined to evade its ads and has given some of them an ultimatum: Turn off your ad blocker or subscribe to YouTube Premium. Ad-blocking users who don’t opt for either of those options won’t be able to watch videos on YouTube at all.Read more...

We rarely think about what happens to our garbage after it goes into the nearest waste receptacle. Whether it’s a piece of paper, a worn-out pair of flip flops, or leftovers from the back of your refrigerator, trash usually ends up at the same final destination: a landfill. Landfills are home to wild chemistry that…Read more...

In a time when smartphone makers are trying to entice users to upgrade to the latest and greatest models on a yearly basis, Fairphone made a name for itself with an Android smartphone designed to be easily repaired and upgraded to extend its useable life for years, and now the company is applying that same ethos to a…Read more...

After a viral tweet caused a 2019 sci-fi book to jump to the number six spot on the Amazon bestseller list, everyone involved was shocked. Not only were the authors confused (yet grateful!), but the young artist, whose previous social-media presence was mostly retweeting anime fanart, was also stunned.Read more...

The Darksaber is gone. The black blade that became the symbol of Mandalore’s leader is, seemingly, no longer there to guide them in their new era of rebuilding and reunification after the events of The Mandalorian season three. But is anything ever really gone in Star Wars? If we look to the weapon’s own history, and …Read more...

The legal battle between the Walt Disney Company and the state of Florida over Walt Disney World’s special district continues to heat up.Read more...

Egyptian Queen Cleopatra has captivated the attention of historians for centuries, many of whom say she was descended from Macedonian Greek kings, and claim that very little of her background was steeped in non-Greek ancestry. The new Netflix docuseries, African Queens, is changing the narrative and has received some …Read more...

These days, it often feels like there are far too many streaming services out there. For once though, the news is perhaps fewer—not more—subscriptions on the way. Say goodbye to separate streaming subs for Disney+ and Hulu. The two services are set to become one for U.S. customers by the end of 2023.

People in Pakistan are facing significant, ongoing restrictions to their internet access following political protests and the arrest of the country’s former prime minister. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that it intentionally cut off mobile internet service beginning Tuesday, according to Geo…Read more...

When you hear the name “Robert Rodriguez,” a montage of images instantly comes to mind. Antonio Banderas shooting a gun shaped like a guitar case. Salma Hayek dancing with a snake. Two gadget-covered kids popping out of the screen in 3D. A black-and-white Mickey Rourke lumbering through a comic book frame. With …Read more...

A metallic oblong-shaped rock may have made its way from space all the way to the surface of Earth, traveling hundreds of millions of miles only to land in New Jersey.Read more...

Mosquitos and the humans they feed on seem to have something in common: a discerning palate for soap. In a new study this week, scientists have found that female, blood-sucking mosquitos are drawn to certain kinds of soaps commonly used by people while repelled by others, though sometimes in unexpected ways. The…Read more...

Today, Google executives took to the stage at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California to talk about the company’s latest advancements in artificial intelligence, Android, and Pixel hardware. If you didn’t have it in you to sit through the two hour live-streamed event (we feel you), here’s the most…Read more...

Read more...

Tucker Carlson made a dazzling announcement on Tuesday: the recently-fired Fox News star will host his next show on Twitter. Carlson’s new broadcasts, which could cost him the $25 million Fox still owes him, will bring Twitter more attention, but they may spell bad news for the company’s bottom line.Read more...

Google’s 2023 I/O conference is finally here and it brings with it a number of new security and privacy features for users. Let’s take a quick look.

Before Google’s latest I/O event could even begin, the tech giant was already trying to stake a claim for its new AI. As music artist Dan Deacon played trippy, chip tune-esque electronic vocals to the gathered crowd, the company displayed the work of its latest text-to-video AI model with a psychedelic slideshow…Read more...

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) space program may still be in its infancy, but the oil-rich country has big plans to surpass its inaugural Mars mission. For its upcoming mission to the main asteroid belt, the Arab nation has revealed the names of the seven space rocks to serve as its targets.Read more...

Come tomorrow night, Nintendo’s big game of the spring season, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, releases.Read more...

Microsoft has decided to cut raises for full-time staff this year, citing that hackneyed refrain: “tumultuous economic conditions.”

The Google Pixel 7a is the new go-to mid-range Android device. It’s so good that it’s making me question why anyone should buy a regular Pixel 7. I chose the Pixel 7 because I wanted a smaller, cheaper device with similar camera capabilities to the Pixel 7 Pro. But now that the Pixel 7a is out for just $500 and is so…Read more...

Netflix is notorious for making shows fans absolutely love and then taking them away without warning. The list of examples is endless, but here at io9, one show undoubtedly sits above all the rest: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. A 10-part prequel to the legendary 1982 Jim Henson/Frank Oz film, Age of Resistance…Read more...

No more teasing. During its Google I/O event today, the company officially revealed its new collection of much-leaked-about Pixel hardware to join its current flagship offerings. For the foldable-curious, the Pixel Fold has officially materialized into something you can pre-order. For the budget-conscious, the Pixel…Read more...

Twitter is a funny thing. It connects us, it gives us access to horrors beyond the pale in our daily news cycle, soon, it will stream Tucker Carlson to bigots around the world. One thing it rarely does is sell books, especially ones that have been out for a few years. That is, apparently, unless you’re a Trigun fan…Read more...

Long before Mr. Wing became the owner of the curiosity shop seen in Joe Dante’s first Gremlins film, he was a kid in 1920s Shanghai, where he encountered a mysterious creature named Gizmo. That’s the set up for long-awaited animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai—and Max (aka HBO Max) has just released…Read more...

The American Psychological Association, one of the country’s leading mental health organizations, released its first health advisory on social media Tuesday, warning parents and policymakers alike about the harms and benefits platforms could bring to young children.Read more...

Last week delivered the shocking news that Babylon 5, already on the precipice of a live-action re-imagining, would make its return even sooner as a brand new animated movie from series architect J. Michael Straczynski. Now, we know exactly what it’s about—and who’s returning to the franchise decades later.

The International Space Station (ISS) hasn’t been retired yet, but private space companies are already vying for a spot in low Earth orbit to take its place. A California-based startup wants to be the first to put a commercial space station in orbit, assigning SpaceX as its launch partner.Read more...

Has elusive R&B artist Frank Ocean finally come out of hiding to release some new music? No, sorry. An anonymous con artist has allegedly made thousands of dollars hocking AI-generated Frank Ocean tracks over Discord.

Scientists are expanding the genetic map of humanity. This week, a large team published the first wave of research from the Pangenome Project, an effort to better capture the diversity of people around the world. The findings should allow scientists to better understand the influence of genetics on our health and…Read more...

If you believe Elon Musk, Twitter is getting a suite of new capabilities, any minute now. The social media CEO said in a Tuesday night tweet that a first version of encrypted messaging would be released on his platform Wednesday. “Release of encrypted DMs V1.0 should happen tomorrow. This will grow in sophistication…Read more...

After a lot of talking around the burning bush, Good Omens season two will premiere on July 28. The comedy, which was originally suspected to be a limited series due to the fact that there was only one book published, was such a hit with audiences that Prime Video greenlit a second season—with Neil Gaiman’s…Read more...

A man accused of hacking Twitter accounts in a Bitcoin scheme pleaded guilty on Tuesday for his role in cyber stalking and computer hacking that exploited numerous high-profile social media accounts. Joseph James O’Connor, 23, was extradited to the U.S. from Spain last month where he awaited trial for harassing,…Read more...

What’s one to do with pieces of the body removed during surgery? In general, most of us don’t have to consider that question, as hospitals don’t usually hand off the human tissue, bones, or medical instruments that doctors remove in the operating room. Some patients, however, make the decision to take the pieces of…Read more...

After the success of his riveting debut, The Sleepless, author Victor Manibo has another intriguing sci-fi tale incoming: Escape Velocity, a murder mystery set in a space hotel, which sounds like an irresistible combination. io9 is thrilled to be announcing Escape Velocity—which will release April 23, 2024—with an…Read more...

If you can book a car, you can book a plane. In its quest to dominate every step of your trip planning process, ride-hailing and food ordering tech giant Uber has unveiled a new feature for its UK users: flight booking.

After the American Motion Picture and Television Producers union failed to offer acceptable counters and terms to the Writers Guild of America, the WGA called a strike on May 2. Struck companies include Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Apple, and will likely affect dozens of productions across the next few months.

The courts have reaffirmed big tech businesses’ rights to be incredibly bullheaded, braindead, erroneous, and just plain old dumb, as long as they at least think they’re making the right move. That’s good news for Jack Dorsey and his fintech company Block, which managed to fight off a shareholder lawsuit for its 2021…Read more...

John Landau still wants an Alita: Battle Angel sequel. Speaking of sequels, Netflix reveals a surprise spinoff for Bird Box. Plus, what’s coming on the next episode of Riverdale. Spoilers, away!

Google’s annual developer’s conference is happening today! After a bizarre Glass Onion-style puzzle invite encouraging developers to bring their friends along for the “fun,” Google I/O 2023 will air online today from the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, where select guests will be attending in person.Read more...

Popular large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard are energy-intensive, requiring massive server farms to provide enough data to train the powerful programs. Cooling those same data centers also makes the AI chatbots incredibly thirsty. New research suggests training for GPT-3 alone consumed…Read more...

He’ssss backkkkkk.Read more...

Days after it was revealed Andor was continuing production on season two during the writers strike, its showrunner Tony Gilroy has stopped working on the show.

In this latest video from Adam Savage’s Tested, the special-effects designer, former MythBusters host, and noted nerd-culture aficionado visits legendary animator Phil Tippett’s Tippett Studio in Berkeley, CA, where he talks with stop-motion master Tom “Gibby” Gibbons about a standout puppet from a standout episode of …Read more...